150 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



September, 1913 



reqiiired lor niarkinjr a bed of a 

 certain size. 



— Wireworins. — 



These pests, which may easily 

 be recogni.sed from their bright 

 yellow colour and tough, wire-like 

 covering, .soon play sad havoc with 

 plants if thcv are not destroyed. 

 Thev are fond of Carnations. They 

 are especially prevalent in gardens 

 where the soil has been undisturb- 

 ed for some time ; indeed, one of 

 the best methods of getting riicl of 

 them is to stir the soil frequently. 

 Many may be caught in this way. 

 When, however, the bed is planted 

 one cannot stir the soil so effectu- 

 ally When a Carnation shows 

 signs of withering - it should be 

 immediatel}- taken up, and if 

 wireworms are in the soil most 

 probabl}- one will be found in th« 

 extreme base of the stem. SSome- 

 times the}- may lie found some dis- 

 tance up the stem, eating out the 

 heart of the plant as they go 

 upwards. Perhaps the best means 

 of trapping them is to insert cut 

 Potatoes and Ca-rrots about 2 

 incbes . below the surface, having a 

 piece of stick attached to each 

 one so that it may be examined 

 (laii\ . .\ umbers may be caught in 

 this way. When the baits are 

 examined the wireworms will be 

 found half buried in them biisil}" 

 feeding. Applications of soot and 

 lime tend to keep them away. 



— Fuchsias. — 



Fuchsias are easily grown, but 

 to ol)tain the best results close at- 

 tention is necessary when the 

 plants are young. They are readi- 

 ly propagated by cuttings. When 

 the young shoots are 3 inches 

 or 4 inches in length they can be 

 taken off with a slight " heel " of 

 old wood. Insert in pots filled 

 with light sandy soil, placing a 

 layer of sand on the surface ; six 

 to ten cuttings may be inserted in 

 each pot according to the size. 

 Water them in, and put them 

 under a bell-glass in a shaded 

 frame. lyook over the cuttings 

 occasionally, removing any damp 

 leaves, and shade from the sun. 

 In two or three weeks they will 

 take root. Aboiit a fortnight 

 later they can lie potted oil .singly 

 in small pots. Ke])ot the plants 

 as they need it, and keep them 

 growing freely. 



The stoi)i)ing of the plants de- 

 ])en(ls on the shape and .si/.e of the 

 ])lants desired. To obtain small 

 bush plants i)inch out the points 

 of the shoots when the young 

 ])lants are 8 inches or 10 inches 

 liigh. For pyramids the side 

 shoots, and occasionally the lead- 



ing shoot, must be -stopped to 

 keep the plants in shape. Standard 

 Fuchsias are very effective. Grow 

 the young plants on with a 

 straight stem to the required 

 height ; 4^ feet is a useful size. At 

 this stage the point of the shoot 

 can be taken out to encourage it 

 to form a head, pinch the result- 

 ing shoots at every second or third 

 pair of leaves till a good head is 

 formed. The Fuchsias delight in 

 a fairly rich soil, consisting of fi- 

 ])rous loam, leaf-mould, well-de- 

 cayed cow manure and plenty of 

 sand to m.ake the soil thoroughly' 

 porous, as the plants require 

 abundance of water in summ'er. 



— Carnations. — 



The drooping habit of some at 

 least of the perpetual flowering 

 carnation appears to be a fault of 

 increasing frequency in American 

 show rooms. Commenting on this, 

 " Horticulture," in 'a recent issue, 

 writes : — 



" Wliether it is the excessive size 

 of the blooms of the present race 

 of the fine American and Knglish 

 carnations and consequently their 

 great weight, or that intcr-b»eed- 

 ing hias produced weakness of the 

 stems, the drooping poise of the 

 blooms is very noticeable among 

 those exhibited at the recent show 

 of the Perpetual Flowering Carna- 

 tion Society. Some of the vari- 

 ties shown had excessively weak 

 stems, and some of them 

 were broken where th^y touched 

 the edge of the vases. We seem 

 to need greater robustness of 

 growth if the blooms are to re- 

 main as large as they now are. 

 Or failinjg that improvement, a 

 reduction of size of the bloom 

 Perhaps the addition of potash, or 

 lime to the soil in which the plants 

 are grown, might impart strength 

 and rigidity to the stems, as these 

 substances do in case of wheat and 

 other crops. A drooping carnation 

 may do for plants standing on a 

 window sill, to be observed from 

 below, as we see them in the 

 Tyrol and Italy, but such flowers 

 are out of place in a vase placed 

 on a level with, or below- the eye. 



— 'Statice Sinuata. — 



The striking features of this 

 l)lant are the white corolla and 

 large blue calyx, together with the 

 lealless but winged stems. Most of 

 the leaves spring directly from the 

 crown of the plant and lie upon 

 the ground. They are not much 

 in evidence when the jjlant is in 

 bloom as it grows 2ft. high and 

 ])r<)duces a large numl)er of branch- 

 ing stems, each branch and branch- 



let terminating in a dense cluster 

 of flowers. Besides the ordinary 

 form with hint calyx and white 

 corolla there are others having 

 rose, rosy-purple and white calyxes. 

 The stems may be cut when the 

 flowers are in perfection and dried 

 for use in the same way as- ever- 

 lastings. The Sea Lavender, as it 

 is called, is a very old favourite 

 in Hngli.sh gardens. 



^ 



The Amaranthus are brilliant 

 foliage plants that do well for any 

 position where bold, striking con- 

 trasts can be used with, safety. 

 High feeding makes this plant 

 gorgeous. Sow seed in boxes or 

 beds and transplant, or broadcast 

 a little where you wish the plants 

 to grow. ^ 



♦ 



Cannas can be grown from seed. 

 \^ ith good stock there is always a 

 chance of striking something par- 

 ticularly good. Soak the seed in 

 hot water for a few hours before 

 sowing to soften the thick outer 

 skin, but the best wa}' to get 

 tbe.se plants is to buy small 

 roots from tbe^nursery. 



G. L. MUELLER'S 



Aromatic Schiedam Sclinapps 



This universal cordial is manufactured 

 and bottled 



IN SCHIEDAM (HOLLAND) 

 with special care and ii warranted 

 free from every injurious property and 



ingredient. 

 It is highly recommended by most of 

 the hotelkeepers in the Commonwealth 

 of Australasia. 



Please take notice of the signature on 

 the labels, and beware of inferior 

 imitations. 



